Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms says she has ordered Atlanta Watershed to not shut off anyone’s water service for nonpayment for the next 60 days over the spreading threat of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus.
“The health and wellbeing of Atlanta residents is at the forefront of everything we do as a city,” Bottoms said in a news release. “Access to water is paramount in the prevention of COVID-19 or any infectious health threat and no one should be deprived of this fundamental resource because of an inability to pay.”
The mayor is urging all city residents and visitors to follow preventive measures to help limit the spread of the virus. They include:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- If you have recently returned from a country with ongoing COVID-19 infections, monitor your health and follow the instructions of public health officials.
You can read the mayor’s order here.
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